The air in the small shelter was heavy, filled with the hum of restored power and the faint metallic scent of fear. The flickering lights above us cast long, distorted shadows across the walls. For the first time since the mission began, the silence felt heavier than the chaos outside.
Marcus Hale paced back and forth near the door, fire extinguisher still in hand. Claire Evans sat with her knees drawn close, trembling, her eyes distant. The pale blue glow of the system window still lingered faintly before me.
[Time Remaining: 19:43:11]
It had already been over four hours since the mission started.
"I can't believe it's only been that long," Marcus muttered, glancing at his watch, though it had stopped working long ago.
"It feels like days."
I didn't answer. My mind was occupied, replaying the message that had appeared earlier.
『Choice of the Survivor.』 Save or abandon.
It hadn't triggered yet, but I knew what that meant. The system wouldn't prompt such a choice without reason. Someone would have to die—or be saved—for it to activate.
A faint rumble echoed through the hallway outside. Claire gasped, clutching her arms tighter.
"They're still out there," she whispered.
"Yeah," Marcus replied grimly. "And they're not stopping."
I stood up. "We can't stay here forever. The tutorial won't end unless we complete the mission."
Claire's eyes widened. "But the mission said to survive twenty-four hours, right? We just have to wait—"
"Do you really think that's all there is?" I interrupted quietly. "If it were that easy, over half the people here wouldn't already be dead."
She fell silent. Marcus frowned, finally setting down the extinguisher.
"Then what do you suggest?"
I looked at the small terminal still glowing in the corner. "We use the map system. If the power's partially back online, we can access floor schematics. Maybe find a safer path."
I pressed my hand against the terminal again.
Ding.
[System Access: Player Ethan Cross recognized.] [Connecting to Building Map Interface...]
A faint grid appeared before me, showing the tower's internal layout—or at least, part of it.
Only the current floor and the one above were visible. Red zones blinked across large portions of the map.
Marcus leaned over. "Those red areas… that's where the monsters are?"
"Most likely," I said. "They're clustered near the lobby and the main stairwell. But look—" I pointed to the right side of the map. "There's a service shaft leading down to sub-level three. It's marked as a maintenance area. No red markers there."
Claire swallowed nervously. "Down? Isn't that the opposite of escaping?"
"Maybe," I said. "But this isn't a normal building anymore. Whatever this 'tutorial' is, the safest place is wherever the monsters aren't."
Marcus sighed, rubbing his temples. "So we crawl through a service tunnel and hope it's empty. Hell, why not."
The thudding outside grew louder.
There was no time to debate.
I grabbed a metal rod from a broken shelf—makeshift weapon at best—and motioned for the others to follow.
We slipped out the back exit of the room, entering a narrow maintenance passage. The air was stale and thick with dust. The emergency lights here were dimmer, barely illuminating the path ahead.
Claire clung to Marcus's arm as we moved, and though he tried to look composed, I could tell from his breathing that he was just as afraid.
[Warning: Hostile presence detected nearby.]
The message flashed before my eyes.
I stopped immediately, raising a hand for silence. The others froze.
Something was moving in the vents above us.
Scrape. Thunk. Scratch.
Whatever it was, it was fast.
Claire's breath quickened, panic creeping into her voice. "E-Ethan…"
"Don't move," I whispered.
Then the ceiling panel burst open.
A creature dropped from above, its body a tangled mess of limbs and sinew. Its jaw split wider than any human's could, teeth like splintered knives.
It shrieked and lunged.
Marcus swung the extinguisher out of reflex, smashing it into the monster's side. The blow barely slowed it down. I shoved Claire aside and drove the metal rod through its shoulder.
The creature screamed, thrashing wildly. Marcus pinned it with his weight, and I wrenched the rod free—then slammed it through its skull.
The body twitched once, then fell still.
We stood there, breathing hard, the sound of our ragged gasps filling the silence.
[You have defeated a Lesser Ghoul.] [+20 Coins] [Strength has increased slightly.]
Marcus let out a bitter laugh. "You've got to be kidding me. It's really giving out experience points."
"Yeah," I said quietly. "It's treating this like a game. But the deaths are real."
Claire looked pale, her voice trembling. "How many more of those things are there?"
I didn't answer. Instead, I looked at the faint glow of the system message fading before me.
[Choice of the Survivor: Condition Triggered.]
The words froze me in place.
Marcus noticed my expression. "What's wrong?"
A new message appeared.
『Someone will die within ten minutes. Make your choice.』
[Choose: Save or Abandon.]
A timer appeared beneath the message.
[00:10:00]
The numbers began to tick down.
Claire's voice was barely a whisper. "Ethan… what does it mean?"
I stared at the countdown, the sound of my heartbeat echoing in my ears.
"It means," I said softly, "one of us isn't supposed to make it to the end of this floor."